John Everson's Blog, page 32

~ On Turning 45, e-books and audiobooks…

I turned 45 years old this week, but I was honestly too busy with various deadlines to really sit back and take stock of what that means. I'm halfway to 90, I got that far in my considerations. And in all likelihood, given family history and population averages, I'm probably more than halfway through the race.

No worries – I'm not getting maudlin over this one, but there it is. Time is moving on and we only get so much to play with. I'm hoping that I'll hit the high end of the age trend and that there are many more books to write  in my future before the curtain falls. Ironically, just a couple days before my birthday, I signed a contract to write my sixth novel for Don D'Auria, my former editor at Leisure Books. The novel is called Nightwhere, and it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. It will be out next year on the new horror line D'Auria's creating for Samhain Publishing.

I did get a bit nostalgic last weekend as I looked ahead to 45, and I used some of my "birthday money" to buy some CDs of old LPs that I never upgraded to disc before. I hit Amazon for Dire Straits, Yaz, and old Styx and Dennis DeYoung solo albums (who can fathom that 27 years have passed since Dennis released Desert Moon?? Sheesh!) But I also picked up a new Andy Bell (Erasure) solo album and a recent collection from The Donnas. So I'm not totally retro yet.

My wife got me the first season of the classic Space: 1999 series on blu-ray (now THERE'S retro for you!) as well as all the Phantasm movie sequels (which I've been watching this weekend).

Probably the coolest thing I got though, was this custom card from my son Shaun. I'm pretty sure that the guns shooting at the "Happy Birthday Dada" message were not meant with malevolent intent. At least I hope not.

It's been a good week in other ways too. Notably on the Fiction Front:

More Book News:

The audiobook edition of my 3rd novel The 13th came out at the end of last month, and I finally got my copies a few days ago, which look awesome. The book was recorded and released by Audio Realms, and they gave it a new cover (the 3rd cover this book has had!) and the reader sounds great. It's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and through the publisher — where you can listen to a sample chapter here:

SIREN at Audio Realms.

Audio Realms also sent me copies of the discs for the audiobook version of Siren which should be out this month or early next. I'm looking forward to listening to this one too – I heard the initial sample chapter and it was great.  I'll post again when that's available to hear.

At the same time as the audiobooks are coming together for my last two novels, the pre-order links for The Pumpkin Man, my 5th novel from Leisure Books, went up on Amazon,  Barnes & Noble,  Borders, etc. this week.  That book will be out in e-book and Trade Paperback editions this fall. But you can get a sneak peek at the cover and short description now at least!

The big book news for me this year is the release of these audiobook editions of The 13th and Siren, a new Trade Paperback edition of Siren hitting the bookstores in a couple months and then the new novel, The Pumpkin Man, this fall.

Over the past few weeks I've been working on a couple of short fiction pieces that will be out in anthologies later this year, as well as on the next release for Dark Arts Books, which is debuting at the World Horror Convention at the end of April. I'll post about that book (which I've nearly finished designing) in a few days.

So 45 years, huh?

Seems like only yesterday I was singing "Come Sail Away" for the first time. Time's funny like that.

Or maybe it just means I'm getting old!

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-03-13

RT @nbdyuknow: New column up at The Black Glove–Top Ten WTF Moments from NIGHT GALLERY: http://bit.ly/fEtueo #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-03-06

Now leaving warm sunny Phoenix to return home to the Great White North #
Even when my cabbie is the George Carlin of The History Channel, I hate it when he robs me of 40 minutes of doze time on the way to O'Hare!! #

~ Tweets for Feb. 2011

So I told my wife I was ready to kick back and rest on my Laurels. She said, "Oh yeah? Let me talk to those bitches!" #
Quality-of-life can really be measured by how close you live to a White Castle and a Buffalo Wild Wings. #
Here's a nice Valentine I just received: An awesome review of my erotic horror novel SIREN up at: http://horrorworld.org/hw/2011/01/siren/ #
For Valentine's Day, my wife got me a 12-pack of Newcastle! She loves me, she really loves me!!! #
Hanging with @PSGifford near LA, watching a chick singer cover Muse at an Irish bar. Life is good! #
Goodbye Chicago mountains of snow… I'm off to Orange County for a couple days! #
My publisher, Dorchester/Leisure Books, has just launched a slick new website – gotta love the SIREN placement! http://www.dorchesterpub.com #
Watching Polanski's REPULSION during the first real blizzard in Chicago in a good 10 years. Will need some repulsion for this snow tomorrow. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-27

So I told my wife I was ready to kick back and rest on my Laurels. She said, "Oh yeah? Let me talk to those bitches!" #
Quality-of-life can really be measured by how close you live to a White Castle and a Buffalo Wild Wings. #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-20

Here's a nice Valentine I just received: An awesome review of my erotic horror novel SIREN up at: http://horrorworld.org/hw/2011/01/siren/ #
For Valentine's Day, my wife got me a 12-pack of Newcastle! She loves me, she really loves me!!! #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-13

Hanging with @PSGifford near LA, watching a chick singer cover Muse at an Irish bar. Life is good! #
Goodbye Chicago mountains of snow… I'm off to Orange County for a couple days! #
My publisher, Dorchester/Leisure Books, has just launched a slick new website – gotta love the SIREN placement! http://www.dorchesterpub.com #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-02-06

Watching Polanski's REPULSION during the first real blizzard in Chicago in a good 10 years. Will need some repulsion for this snow tomorrow. #

~ Tweets for Jan. 2011

Watching the Travis Mann Band at the Full Moon Saloon in Nashville – with a Newcastle and Makers Mark while editing a story… Life is good! #
Thank Nashville for Jacks Bar-B-Que and Full Moon Saloon. Two great tastes that go great together (well, 'cross the street from each other)! #
Friday night in Nashville and I'm too sick with a headcold to go see some music. At least I found a Yazoo Dos Perros per @Bryan_D_Smith. #
Jacks BarBQue has winter hours & closes at 8?? Thanks for the hour delay to miss dinner, O'Hare. At least Nashville has a Big River Brewery! #
Off to Nashville to run a conference til Saturday for the dayjob. Mmm…Jack's Bar-B-Que, here I come! #
My DEADLY NIGHTLUSTS ebook scored comparisons to Stephen King & Bentley Little! Check out Nick Cato's review at: http://tinyurl.com/4ak3l24 #
Scott Nicholson @hauntedcomputer is at it again: CRIME BEAT hit yesterday #kindle http://amzn.to/e5tGqB #nook http://bit.ly/f3w9Pj #mystery #
Is it time for Baseball Season yet? #
Happiness is having dinner on New Year's Eve at the original Aurelios Pizza in Homewood, IL – home of the absolute best pizza on earth! #

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-01-23

Watching the Travis Mann Band at the Full Moon Saloon in Nashville – with a Newcastle and Makers Mark while editing a story… Life is good! #
Thank Nashville for Jacks Bar-B-Que and Full Moon Saloon. Two great tastes that go great together (well, 'cross the street from each other)! #
Friday night in Nashville and I'm too sick with a headcold to go see some music. At least I found a Yazoo Dos Perros per @Bryan_D_Smith. #
Jacks BarBQue has winter hours & closes at 8?? Thanks for the hour delay to miss dinner, O'Hare. At least Nashville has a Big River Brewery! #
Off to Nashville to run a conference til Saturday for the dayjob. Mmm…Jack's Bar-B-Que, here I come! #